Field trials in Europe with Miscanthus over the past 25 years have demonstrated that interspecies hybrids such as M. 9 giganteus (M 9 g) combine both high yield potentials and low inputs in a wide range of soils and climates. Miscanthus hybrids are expected to play a major role in the provision of perennial lignocellulosic biomass across much of Europe as part of a lower carbon economy. However, even with favourable policies in some European countries, uptake has been slow. M 9 g, as a sterile clone, can only be propagated vegetatively, which leads to high establishment costs and low multiplication rates. Consequently, a decade ago, a strategic decision to develop rapidly multiplied seeded hybrids was taken. To make progress on this goal, we have (1) harnessed Correspondence: John Clifton-

The chalcone synthase (CHS) gene controls the first step in the flavonoid biosynthesis. In flax, CHS down-regulation resulted in tannin accumulation and reduction in lignin synthesis, but plant growth was not affected. This suggests that lignin content and thus cell wall characteristics might be modulated through CHS activity. This study investigated the possibility that CHS affects cell wall sensing as well as polymer content and arrangement. CHS-suppressed and thus lignin-reduced plants showed significant changes in expression of genes involved in both synthesis of components and cell wall sensing. This was accompanied by increased levels of cellulose and hemicellulose. CHS-reduced flax also showed significant changes in morphology and arrangement of the cell wall. The stem tissue layers were enlarged averagely twofold compared to the control, and the number of fiber cells more than doubled. The stem morphology changes were accompanied by reduction of the crystallinity index of the cell wall. CHS silencing induces a signal transduction cascade that leads to modification of plant metabolism in a wide range and thus cell wall structure.

Pszczółkowska A., Okorski A., Kotecki A., Gas M., Kulik T., Reczek A. 2016. Incidence of seed-borne fungi on Lupinus mutabilis depending on a plant morphotype, sowing date and plant density. J. Elem., 21(2): 501-512. AbstractSeeds of the Andean lupine are characterised by high nutritional value, and the plant could become an important crop in the production of food and forage. This legume continues to attract growing interest around the world. A field experiment was carried out in in Lower Silesia, Poland, in 2011-2012. Two Andean lupine morphotypes (indeterminate and determinate) were analysed. Andean lupine was grown in treatments characterised by different sowing dates and plant density per m 2 . Seed yield, macronutrient content, protein content and health were evaluated at harvest. Seed yield was determined by the interaction of all experimental factors. The indeterminate form produced a significantly higher yield than the determinate form, regardless of the sowing date. The factors had little influence on the mineral content of seeds and total protein content. Andean lupine seeds were colonised mostly by saprotrophic fungi of the genera Alternaria, Cladosporium, Epicoccum and Rhizopus and pathogenic fungi of the genera Botrytis, Colletotrichum and Fusarium. Delayed sowing contributed to seed colonisation by fungi of the genus Colletotrichum. The determinate form was more susceptible to infection than the indeterminate form. Molecular analysis showed that the Colletotrichum isolates found in the study belong to the Colletotrichum acutatum species complex. The pathogen causing lupine anthracnose, isolated from the seeds of Andean lupine in the present study, was identified as Colletotrichum lupini (within C. acutatum complex) in a molecular analysis, and its DNA sequence was compared with those of the isolates deposited in the GenBank.

Soybean is a thermophilic and photophilic plant very sensitive to weather course during the vegetation period. This trait limits soybean cultivation in higher latitude countries. This field study aimed to evaluate the effects of three sowing dates on the development, the duration of vegetative and generative stages, and the yield of two soybean cultivars (Lissabon and Merlin) under conditions in south-western Poland in the years 2016–2019. The sowing date determines the temperature and the day length available for soybean plants, influencing development and yield. Delaying the sowing date by 20 days in relation to the earliest (16–21.04) resulted in the shortening of the length of the vegetative development by 12 days and the shortening of the entire vegetation period by 14 days. The delayed sowing date (06–19.05) under the conditions of south-western Poland (Lower Silesia) contributed to a significant decrease in yield. Lissabon produced greater soybean yield than Merlin. Special attention should be paid to proper seed sowing dates in soybean agriculture practice. It is necessary to breed soybean genotypes adapted to day length and thermal conditions of the cultivation area to achieve the maximum seed yield.

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